The long-awaited saltire emoji is set to be released in 2017, alongside the English and Welsh flags, however it will be up to the makers of smartphones to introduce them onto user keyboards for iPhone and Android.

The news of the saltire debut comes after consistent demand and requests from patriotic Scots for the flag, which is evidenced in the proposal by Unicode.

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In a message to developers, Unicode said: "A proposed update is available for public review and feedback.

"This new version adds a mechanism to support regional flags, such as Scotland or California, though the choice of which of these flags to support is left to vendors."

Former First Minister Alex Salmond has voiced his disappointment in the past over the saltire missing out in the emoji keyboard update.

He stated: "Last year, I wrote to both Apple and the Unicode Consortium, asking them to consider including the saltire in their next update. I am disappointed that that once again Scotland has been left out, along with our neighbours in England and in also in Wales."

What do you think, should we have a Scottish flag emoji to represent our bonnie land? Let us know by taking our poll below.